After Curfew
by PoeticLife
Summary: The first-year marauders are out after curfew without any magical help. Will Remus's secret survive a run-in with Filch? Oneshot.
**Hey! A blast from the past: the Marauders as firsties! Let me know if you want to see something in a review: the werewolf reveal, casting Patronuses, a prank, interacting with Peeves, etc.**

 **If you want to make my day with a review, be my guest!**

* * *

First-years Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter were out after curfew. Remus knew it had been a bad idea, not least because they didn't know their way around the castle, but they had practically dragged him out of bed to tell him that he was coming with them for an exploration of the castle.

"You're the brains of this operation, Remus," Sirius had told him. "We need some smarts if we don't plan on getting caught."

So here he was, tiptoeing down a corridor with his new friends. He knew something was going to go wrong soon.

It did. James's foot stayed about half a second too long in the spot where a brick was missing in the floor and he tripped, dropping his wand. The light from the simple Lumos spell swung around the corridor crazily, like a strobe light or a spotlight not knowing where to shine.

"Students out of bed?"

They all jumped and whirled around to stare at the painting of an elderly witch, who was staring right back at them. She looked on the verge of calling for Filch, so Remus put on his best _lost and pathetic child_ look and said, "We're lost, and we didn't know it was curfew until it was too late. We just lost track of time studying!"

The witch gave him a scathing look before yelling, "Students out of bed in the fifth floor! Students out after curfew!"

James swore at her, looking frantically around for a nonexistent hiding place. "This wouldn't be happening if my dad had just given me the Invisibility Cloak before Christmas!"

"Quick!" Remus hissed. "Turn out the light!"

"Are you crazy?" Sirius demanded in an angry whisper as James did so. "Now we can't see!"

"Neither can Filch," Remus replied. "Now let's get out of here, back to Gryffindor Tower. I'm praying you remember how to get back."

Peter snorted. "Of course I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't know how to get back."

About ten minutes later, Sirius walked straight into Filch's cat Greer, accidentally kicking him. He hissed and stared up as Sirius with creepy yellow eyes that looked demonic in the darkness.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered. "We're done for. I'm sorry. We're as good as caught."

"We need to go," said James urgently. "Now." They all started to run down the passageway, but -

"Ah! Students out of bed!"

Argus Filch, the caretaker widely known as unfair, miserable, and a Squib, was standing at the other end of the corridor. "You four, come with me."

They did. Remus hid his anxiety well, but Peter was shaking. James and Sirius were staring defiantly at Filch's back. The silent walk up to his so-called office was probably hours shorter than it seemed. Filch giggled from time to time, making them shiver and interrupting the excuses and alibis that were running through their heads.

* * *

"So," said Filch, staring them down from what Remus immediately thought of as the Intimidation Seat. "Care to explain?"

The silence stretched on until Remus couldn't take it anymore. Putting on a forceful tone, he said, "Fine." Peter, James and Sirius stared at him, looking betrayed.

"Fine," Remus repeated. "Sirius sleepwalks. We couldn't wake him up so we were following him to make sure he didn't do anything dangerous. Alright?"

"Do you know how many times I've heard that excuse?" Filch growled.

"No," he admitted.

Filch cast them all a glare. "Names?"

"James Potter," he said carelessly.

"Peter Pettigrew," he said in a squeak.

"Sirius Black," he said almost rudely.

"Remus Lupin," he said calmly.

Filch took a close look at Remus, going so far as to lean out of his Intimidation Seat and stare with an uncontained surprise and disgust. "So you're the Lupin boy."

Remus's face clearly said _you don't intimidate me._ "Yes, I am."

"They should never have let you in here," he spat. "Filthy, that's what you are. All of your kind should be put down. Better yet, hunted down and killed. Remember your place here. You have nerve talking back to me."

"Thank you," said Remus, sarcasm barely concealed. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, go," said Filch sourly, casting a glare over at the three boys who were watching their exchange, confused. "But keep in mind that your kind don't belong here. You should be -"

"Yes, yes, I should die painfully and go to Hell, etcetera, etcetera," Remus agreed, standing up and walking to the door. He paused at the doorway, though, and ignoring his friends, who had stood up, he smirked. "I think we both know who's scared here, Mr. Filch."

They left in a hurry, not speaking but giving Remus odd looks. He was getting nervous about what kind of interrogation he would be getting in Gryffindor Tower.

Finally, they entered through the Portrait Hole, and Remus broke the silence first. "I'm sorry for that little display, I just didn't know what to -"

"You're brilliant, do you know that, Remus?" James interrupted. "You got us out of there without a single detention. I don't know what Filch's problem is."

"I hear he's always been a little disturbed," said Peter.

Sirius was looking at Remus with a new respect. "Nice parting line. What made you say he was scared?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I couldn't put my finger on it, but... He was threatening me and there was something in his eyes... People usually don't act that way unless they're scared."

"You read too many crime novels and you're a brilliant actor," James told him. "Nice lie. I don't know why he'd be scared of you, though, unless he thinks that scars make you tough."

Remus snorted. "I think he just feels threatened that the offspring of a Muggle woman and a half-blood has more magic than him, a pure-blood. Why else?"

"Why else indeed," said Sirius simply. "Goodnight."


End file.
